Netball is aiming to become the leading arena sport in Britain after Manchester was announced as the host of the World Cup in 2031, according to Baroness Sue Campbell.
England Netball have been awarded the rights to the 18th edition of the Netball World Cup, marking the fourth time England will have hosted the tournament.
Manchester’s Co-op Live, the UK’s largest arena, will hold the event after netball became the first ball sport to be held at the venue when it hosted the Netball Super League Grand Final in June.
“Being awarded the World Cup in 2031 is a landmark moment for our sport and also for women’s sport generally,” said Baroness Campbell, Chair of the England Netball Board.
“We see it as an opportunity to increase our profile as a sport, but also to grow a future generation of young people who want to play our game.
“Our ambition is to be the number one arena sport in this country. I think we can be, and we should be.
“The thing that keeps us all collectively together is trying to grow the respect and understanding of the importance of women's sport in this country.”
The NSL Grand Final, which was won by Manchester Thunder, drew a crowd of 9,000, with the Co-op Live readying for a capacity of 15,000 for the World Cup.
It will aim to build on the legacy of the 2019 World Cup which was hosted in Liverpool and saw 112,000 tickets sold with over 160,000 women and girls inspired to play netball in its wake.
“It's incredibly powerful to have a tournament in England, but it'll have an impact right across the whole UK and across the world,” added Baroness Campbell.
“This is a sport where we want to connect and work together across the globe to grow the game, and that means inspiring generations of young people to want to play our game, either for fun or aspiring to be one of the future England Roses.
“At the Commonwealth Games recently, netball was the most popular sport by a long way. It filled the stadium virtually every day. There were hundreds and hundreds of young people who, for the first time, saw the sport played at that level.
“We're very keen that the opportunities are there for youngsters to watch, be inspired and want to be involved.”
The tournament will follow a transformative decade of women’s sport in England, following on from the legacy of home tournaments in football, rugby and cricket during the 2020s.
Netball itself holds a unique place in the development of women’s sport, initially forming as a women-only sport, with England Netball celebrating its centenary with the announcement of the World Cup.
“You have to be quite amazed that netball started in the 19th century. We started the game here in England, and it's spread across the world. In 1926, the netball fraternity got together to form the Netball Association, a year before women even had the vote,” explained Baroness Campbell.
“We’re very proud of that history. Although we are opening our doors to boys and men, and we've got mixed netball as well, we're very, very proud that this is a sport run by women for women.
“One of the wonderful things about women's sport is we're all working together. We're all very much supporting one another, and for us this is another moment for us to get attention onto girls' and women's sport.”
The Netball World Cup 2031 is coming to Manchester, be the first to hear more at www.englandnetball.co.uk
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